Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the treatment of wounds using negative pressure wound therapy and more specifically to wound treatment apparatuses including a fluidic connector for use therewith.
Description of the Related Art
The treatment of open or chronic wounds that are too large to spontaneously close or otherwise fail to heal by means of applying negative pressure to the site of the wound is well known in the art. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) systems currently known in the art commonly involve placing a cover that is impermeable or semi-permeable to fluids over the wound, using various means to seal the cover to the tissue of the patient surrounding the wound, and connecting a source of negative pressure (such as a vacuum pump) to the cover in a manner so that negative pressure is created and maintained under the cover. It is believed that such negative pressures promote wound healing by facilitating the formation of granulation tissue at the wound site and assisting the body's normal inflammatory process while simultaneously removing excess fluid, which may contain adverse cytokines bacteria. However, further improvements in NPWT are needed to fully realize the benefits of treatment.
Many different types of wound dressings are known for aiding in NPWT systems. These different types of wound dressings include many different types of materials and layers, for example, gauze, pads, foam pads or multi-layer wound dressings. One example of a multi-layer wound dressing is the PICO dressing, available from Smith & Nephew, which includes a superabsorbent layer beneath a backing layer to provide a canister-less system for treating a wound with NPWT. The wound dressing may be sealed to a suction port providing connection to a length of tubing, which may be used to pump fluid out of the dressing and/or to transmit negative pressure from a pump to the wound dressing.
The stiffness of certain suction ports in such close proximity to the wound site can adversely affect the healing process. Patient movement or pressure onto the wound dressing may bring the healing wound into contact with the inflexible suction port of the dressing. Such force can cause disturbance of a wound bed which can damage a wound site. This can potentially cause delays in healing of the wound site and discomfort for the patient.
It will also be appreciated that the tubing connected to the suction port is prone to obstruction. The tubing may become obstructed by movement of the patient, which may cause the tube to bend and form a kink or may place pressure onto the tubing, substantially or fully blocking the flow of fluid through the tubing. This can reduce or eliminate the negative pressure being transmitted to the wound site, and in embodiments employing a separate canister for fluid collection it can also result in accumulation of excess wound exudate at the wound site.
Further problems may arise when a suction port adhered to a top surface of a wound dressing is pulled away from the dressing. For example, if a tubing or conduit connected to the suction port is pulled in certain directions, the suction port may be peeled from the dressing. If the suction port is adhered to the dressing top surface by adhesive, such as an adhesive ring, when the suction port is compressed to the dressing top surface with the adhesive in between, this may cause localized peaks of adhesive. When a tubing or conduit is pulled to tug on the suction port, this may cause peeling of the suction port from the dressing. The localized peaks of adhesive may create areas of intense stress concentration which can lead to pin holing in the dressing after a small tug.